SPERMATOZOIDS. 



[ 583 ] 



SPHiERIA. 



and called spermatophores. These, when 

 discharged from the organ, are fixed by the 

 male to the posterior end of the body of the 

 female by means of a glutinous secretion. 



The spermatozoa are the essential ferti- 

 lizing elements of the liquid in which they 

 are contained. On reaching the ova, they 

 bore through the vitelline membrane by the 

 aid of their terminal filament, becoming 

 dissolved or lost in the substance of the 

 yolk. 



Spermatozoa may be best examined and 

 preserved by washing them with distilled 

 water, and drying them upon a slide. 



BiBL. KoWiker, Mikrosk. Anat. ii. 393; 

 id. Siebold and Kolliker's Zeitschr. vii. 201 ; 

 id. Beitr. z. Kennin. d. Geschlechtsverhdlt- 

 nisse, t^c. d. wirbel. Thiere ; Siebold, Vergl. 

 Anat., passim; Czermak, Siebold and Kolli- 

 ker's Zeitschr. ii. ; Wagner, Todd's Cycl. of 

 Anat. Sf-c. iv., art. Semen ; id. Physiology by 

 Willis; Leuckart, Wagner's Handwbrterb. 

 d. Phys. iv. 819 ; Beneden, Anat. Comparee; 

 Dujardin, Observ. au Microsc. ; and the 

 Bibl. of Ovum. 



SPERMATOZOIDS, or ANTHERO- 

 ZOIDS. — The terms applied to the struc- 

 tures produced in the antheridia of the 

 Cryptogam] a, regarded as analogous to the 

 spermatozoa of animals, and as the agents of 

 fertilization of the germ-cell. In the Mar- 

 sileaceae, Lvcopodiaceae, Equisetacese, Ferns 

 (PL 32. fig. 34), Mosses (PI. 32. fig, 33), 

 Hepaticacese (PI. 32. fig. 32), and Characese 

 (PI. 32. fig. 31), they are ciliated, spirally- 

 coiled filaments, exhibiting very active spon- 

 taneous motion. In the Fucoid Algfc, they 

 are globular cells bearing two unequal cilia 

 moving actively. In the Floridese they are 

 minute globular cells, and neither cilia nor 

 movement have been certainly demonstrated. 

 In the Lichens and Fungi the Spermatia 

 (PI. 20. fig. 4; PI. 29. fig. 15) appear to 

 represent the spermatozoids of the other 

 classes, and they seem to be devoid of spon- 

 taneous movement. The details respecting 

 these bodies are given under their respective 

 classes. 



Bibl. Thuret, Ann, des Sc. nat. 3 ser. xiv. 

 p. 214, and xvi. p. 5. See also under the 

 families. 



SPERMOGONIA.— The supposed anther- 

 idial structures of Lichens (PL 29. figs. 2, 

 13, 16) and Fungi (PL 20. figs. 1 & 4). 



SPERMOSIRA, Kiitzing.— A genus of 

 Nostochacese, growing in salt marshes, con- 

 taining two British species; known from 

 the other genera by the disk-shaped or len- 



ticular cells ; but the filaments are liable to 

 be mistaken for a Nostoc in the young state. 



1. Spermosiralitorea, Kutzing. Filaments 

 1-3600" thick, straightish, aeruginous; ordi- 

 nary cells confluent, very short ; spermatic 

 cells at first green, depressed-spheroidal, 

 1-3000" in diameter, granulate, fuscous when 

 matm'e ; vesicular cells transversely ellipti- 

 cal, not wider than the ordinary cells. Kiit- 

 zing, Tab. Phyc. vol. i. pi. 100. fig. 3; Har- 

 vey, Phyc. Brit. pi. 93. fig. C, Manual of 

 Br. Algce, 2 etl. pi. 27 E. In muddy brackish 

 ditches. 



2. S. Harvey ana, Thwaites. Filaments 

 much curved; cells nearly as long as broad; 

 spermatic cells exactly spherical, almost 

 twice the diameter of the ordinary cells ; 

 vesicular cells sub quadrate, rather longer 

 than wide, about as wide as the ordinary 

 cells. Harvey, Phyc. Brit. pi. 1/3 C. In 

 muddy brackish ditches. 



Bibl. As above. 



SPHACELARIA, Lyngb.— A genus of 

 Ectocarpaceae (Fucoid Algse), containing a 

 number of species, two of which, 5. scoparia 

 and S. cirrhosa, are common. They have 

 jointed, rigid, distichously branched, feathery 

 filamentous fronds, of olive colour, a few 

 inches high, and are especially characterized 

 by the sphacelce formed at the ends of the 

 branches, which consist of an expanded ter- 

 minal cell containing a granular mass. This 

 structure appears to represent the an theridium 

 of these plants, for Pringsheim has observed 

 the conversion of the granular mass into one 

 or more large free cells, the contents of 

 which are after a time converted into ciliated 

 spermatozoids, ultimately discharged through 

 a tubular process breaking its way out at 

 the side of the sphacela. The spores (or 

 spore-sacs?) are borne at the sides of the 

 branchlets, apparently on distinct plants. 



Bibl. Harvey, Brit. Mar. Alg. p. 55. pi. 

 9 B; Pringsheim, Bericht. Berlin. Akad. 

 March, 1855. 



SPHiERIA, Hall. — A genus of Sphaeriacei 

 (Ascomycetous Fungi), now somewhat re- 

 duced from its ancient limits, but still con- 

 taining a vast quantity of species, which it 

 is impossible to treat satisfactorily within 

 our limits. The forms vary chiefly in regard 

 to the perithecia, which are sometimes only 

 covered by a veil, and hence appear superfi- 

 cial on the matrix, while in other cases 

 they are imbedded in the matrix, only evi- 

 dent externally by the black papilla, which 

 is permanent, becoming indurated and open- 

 ing by a pore to discharge the spores in a 



